Nebraska's Simpson Wins Gymnastics Title

Published 8:00 pm, Friday, April 25, 2003

Associated Press Writer

All-around champion Richelle Simpson won Nebraska's first floor exercise national championship Saturday on the final night of the NCAA Women's Gymnastics Championships.

Simpson, who defeated UCLA's Jamie Dantzscher by a quarter-point for the all-around title Thursday, edged the 2000 U.S. Olympian again before a home crowd of 5,103 at the Devaney Sports Center that clapped to the music as she performed her routine.

Simpson, who received 10s from two judges, had an average score of 9.962. Dantzscher, the defending champion, received a 9.938.

Simpson won Nebraska's fifth individual title overall.

Dantzscher also failed to defend her title in the vault, but won a co-championship with Kate Richardson in the uneven bars at 9.900. Richardson also won the balance beam.

Freshman Ashley Miles, who had a 10 Thursday in the vault preliminaries, won the vault with an average score of 9.9375 on two attempts.

Dantzscher was hurt by a slight stumble on her second landing in the event and received an average score of 9.9250.

Richardson, a Canadian Olympian in 2000, won the balance beam with a 9.938. Simpson earned a 9.925.

Miles' title in the vault was Alabama's first in the event and the school's 14th overall.

Richardson joined Lena Degteva in 2000, Kiralee Hayashi in 1999 and Jill Andrews in 1989 as UCLA gymnasts to have won titles on the beam.

UCLA has been dominant on the bars, having won or shared titles in the event four of the last six years. Richardson and Dantzscher raised the Bruins' number of overall individual titles to 22.